Looking to see if I should make the move to Okinawa or Tokyo. Job offer was pretty much the same salary wise for both locations. I can’t decide – they seem to both have their pros and cons. My decision changes day by day and I’m conflicted I don’t want to make the wrong choice.
Those who are there now would you suggest oki or Tokyo?
Edit: I’m not sure why it won’t let me reply to individual posts but I think the issue why I can’t decide is because I want it all 🥹 I want the urban environment, culture AND the outdoors and sea life.
I’ve visited both places and they definitely are very different vibes
In oki I’ll be working in Chatan area so I’d most likely get a place in Chatan or Okinawa City. To save money I’ll probably walk or get a bike to commute to work. I think I like the excitement and the stimulation from being in Tokyo and things changing with random pop up stores and events – I think this will help me with boredom and loneliness being constantly stimulated with new things. But I also like an easy going slow life because I am currently living it now and I’m content with the quality of my life, I just want to do it in Japan. I worry because I think I’ll get bored after some time in Oki especially if I want to experience the city life I would have to travel to Naha and the bus fares are a lot more pricier. So I think in the end I would be saving more being in Oki but I think I would use all that money to travel to Naha or Tokyo etc so in the end the total amount saved would be similar. With regards to the weather in oki I like the rain and idk why but typhoons excite me so I think it’ll be okay but is it really humid all year round?
As for the job requirement the position in Oki only requires me to work around 30 hours per week and the Tokyo one is 45 hours per week 🫠
by Honeymustard416
6 comments
I would 100% chose Okinawa over Tokyo.
Remember Tokyo is only an hour flight away so you can visit anytime and it’s really cost effective.
Less city and more leisure type of lifestyle in Okinawa and you’re always near a beach.
Salary wise u get more “bang for the buck” in Okinawa since the cost of living is alot lower.
Tokyo will give u more hustling and bustling city life and more options to do things vs Okinawa which is mainly a lax beach life.
Ultimately depends what kind of lifestyle you want and how much money u want to “save”.
100% Okinawa.
Those are pretty darn different places. Have you visited both? Also, where in Okinawa, I’m guessing a company with offices in Tokyo it would be Naha?
Ps bear in mind this sub miiight be a little biased towards Okinawa
That’s a pretty radical choice – Maybe focus on living environment priorities – Are you interested in outdoors, sea related activites or do you prefer an urban environment, and culture? Are you ready to live with typhoons and high humidity a good part of the year? Would you like to have access to public transport or be forced to commute by car? Do you prefer a high density metropolis or a regional, more laid-back atmosphere?
I couldn’t live in Tokyo – Okinawa is far from perfection, has plenty of downsides, but for us it strikes a good balance between access to nature in the north, shore diving and convenience of a small regional town with all we need in the south (Naha).
Without knowing your background or situation, it’s hard to make a recommendation.
I’d personally choose Okinawa but I’m biased to the island life. I have to say though, Okinawans are a lot friendlier in general because they’re so accustomed to American presence.
Reasons not to choose Okinawa:
If you hate hot humid summers
If you like traveling, you’d always have to fly to Tokyo first as there aren’t direct flights to and from Oki afaik
If you like the city life and walkable cities in general
If you want to avoid tropical storms and preparing for them
I think that’s about all the things I didn’t like about living there. Everything else was perfect